Shoe heating and vulcanizing apparatus.



T. F. WHELAN.

SHOE HEATING'AND VULCANIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 050.2. 1909. RENEWED MAR. 21, 1914.

LlfiFAW. Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0, WASHINGTON, n. c.

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TI-IOIVIAS F. WHELAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SAVODAY RACK COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

SHOE HEATING AND VULCANIZING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters iatent.

iatented Oct. 19, 1915.

Application filed December 2, 1909, Serial No. 531,009. Renewed March 21, 1914. Serial No. 826,396.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. l/VI-IELAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoe Heating and Vulcanizing Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating shoes, and more particularly to apparatus for drying out and vulcanizing shoes.

In the manufacture of shoes, it has been the general practice to use paste or gum between the lining and the upper of a shoe at the toe in forming the box and then to put the shoe, while on the last, aside for a considerable length of time to permit the paste and gum to dry thoroughly and set the box. If the last is withdrawn before the box is set, the shoe is liable to distortion in subsequent manufacturing opera-- tions. It is the practice in the manufacture of shoes having box toes to last the shoes at the close of the day, so that when the lasts and the shoes thereon are put aside to dry, a part of the time necessary in the drying operation will be taken up when the factory is not running. This over-night drying is unsatisfactory because it is often insufficient, especially when the humidity is great, and while the box toes remain damp it is not feasible to remove the lasts. In the long run, therefore, lasts used in the manufacture of box toe shoes remain in the shoes longer than lasts used in the manufacture of shoes of other types, and are there fore a more expensive investment.

An object of my invention is to facilitate the manufacture of that type of shoe whlch' requires drying by providing an improved apparatus by the use of which the time that the shoe is on the last is materially shortened, thus reducing the number of lasts required for a given output of shoes.

If the toe which is being dried is of'patent leather a further difliculty is liable to arise. /Vhen shoes are dried in the air the operation, if atmospheric conditions are un favorable, may take several days, and the alternation of cold and Warmth, dryness and dampness causes irregular expansion and contraction in the material of which the toe is composed and thus checks or cracks the enamel, which is glazed on patent leather at a temperature of 200 to 300 F.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an apparatus for drying such toes rapidly and at an even temperature and thereby to avoid such damage. Patent leather enamel is also liable to be similarly damaged in other ways, for example, during the lasting operation, where the leather is bent sharply by the gripping jaws as it is drawn over the last. I propose to refinish this cracked and checked patent leather by spreading thereover a thin coating of liquid enamel and baking the same in the improved apparatus hereinafter described.

With the above and other important objects in view the invention consists in an apparatus comprising a heating compartment having openings therein arranged to receive the toe portions only of the shoes to be treated, supports outside of the compartment for the shoes, and heating means for the compartment arranged to maintain heat of sufficient temperature to dry out the materials at the toe portions of the shoes. The openings which receive the toe portions of the shoes are adapted to confine the heat to such portions whereby injury to the upper and other parts of the shoes which are not to be dried is prevented.

Other features of the invention, including important details of construction and combinations of parts, will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows, in perspective, a shoe rack provided with a plurality of shoe heating compartments embodying the features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in vertical longitudinal section through an end of one of the heating compartments shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of Fig. 2. 1

In Fig. 1 the shoe rack is composed of a frame provided with shelves'l on which the shoes are supported. 'At the rear of each of these shelves is a heating compartment composed of a back wall 2, a top wall 3, and a front wall l. The bottom Wall of each compartment may be constituted by the shelf 1, or a separate bottom wall pro- I vided, if desired. A trough-like support 6 core of refractory material 7, surrounded by a high resistance coil of wire 8, to which a current of electricity may be supplied from a suitable source of electrical energy. In the line wire of this electric heating coil is a rheostat 9, provided with a switch as shown, whereby the current may be controlled and hence the amount of heat which is supplied to the compartment regulated. Other forms of electrical heaters may be used, as for instance, those employing graphite, etc.

It is preferred to use a partition wall 11, at suitable points along each of the compartments, to prevent undue circulation of the heated air and to direct the radiated heat onto the toes of the shoes which are inserted in the compartment. The front wall 12 is preferably made of some flexible material having-openings therein to receive the tips of shoes, said openings being slashed at 13 to cause a close fit between the shoe toes and the edges of the openings. 7

In the use of the inventionthe heating coil is energized and regulated by the rheostat so that the proper temperature may be obtained in the housing. The toes of the .pasted and lasted shoes are inserted within the openings in the walls 12 and owing to the presence of the heat within the compartment, the box toes are rapidly and thoroughly dried. The compartment is comparatively small and the openings in the front thereof are of such size as to receive only the toe portions of the lasted shoes, and thus itis not necessary to generate a large quantity of heat as is the case where a large number of lasted shoes are placed in a drying room or the like. I have found that the toes of pasted box toes can be thoroughly dried in about thirty minutes and that in drying the toes of the shoes are drawn tightly over the last and are much smoother and more firmly set than are the toes of shoes dried in the ordinary manner. I have found that the box toe'adhesive material is drawn outwardly into and through the felt used between thelining and the leather of the toe, and that this gum, when thoroughly dried by the application of heat, forms a very stiff and rigid box. I have found that the moisture in the adhesive material is drawn outwardly through the leather and appears as small globules on the surface of the toe of the shoe. This action, which ma be termed sweating begins shortly after the toe of the shoe has been introduced into the heater, and continues throughout the process of drying. As the globules of moisture appear on the surface of the toe they tend by capillary action to draw off more moisture from the paste, as they evaporate. The film of globules of moisture resulting from the sweating process protects the surface of the leather, and while the upper portion of the toe is in contact with air of a high temperature, the leather is not injured, nor are the natural fats cooked out.

I have found in actual practice, by slicing a shoe dried out by my novel process that the adhesive and its moisture do not penetrate inwardly, but are drawn outwardly. If they were forced inwardly, the lining would be stuck to the last, which would be objectionable. The stretching of the leather in forming the box toes of the shoes tends to open up the pores thereof and this condition contributes materially to the drawing outward of the moisture. It is of course well known that in forming the box toes of the shoes the leather of the toe is wet or softened by a softening composition and stretched tightly over the last, the object being to get the form or shape of the tee from the stretching of the leather and to avoid crimping or folding the leather under the toes. Being Wet, the leather will stretch more readily and its pores will consequently be opened and initially filled with water or softening composition when introduced into the drying apparatus. The saturated leather will be dried out and in drying out will draw the moisture from the adhesive through the open pores. It is not desired to dry the leather in the shoe so thoroughly as to bake it to the point where it is hard and brittle.

By the use of my improved apparatus, all box toe shoes turned out by a factory may be uniformly dried in a comparatively short space of time, thus permitting the rapid reuse of the lasts and consequently increasing the output per last.

My novel apparatus can be used for baking or vulcanizing the coating of enamel used on patent leather. For example, where shoes are left to dry in the open air, the evaporation of the moisture in the box toe is slow and uncertain especially under varying weather conditions, requiring four or five days in damp weather. The alternation of damp and dry, or warm and cold weather, causes nonuniform expansion in the material, and thus causes the enameled surface of the toe to check and crack. The toes of patent leather shoes are also often cracked during the lasting operation, where the leather is sharply bent and pulled by the jaws of the machine. The toes of shoes which have been thus damaged can be sandpapered in order to form a proper surface for re'e'nameling, then coated with enamel and then baked in my novel apparatus. In this operation a lower temperature is used for a shorter time than is the practice Where the toes are merely dried to set the box.

The method of repairing patent leather shoes, as above described, is not claimed herein but is claimed in a divisional application filed March 15, 1915, Ser. No. 1l,t15.

The right is reserved to make such changes in the form, proportions or relative arrangement of the parts shoWn in the draw ings as fall Within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the United States is:

1. An apparatus of the character described, in the form of a shoe rack, the same comprising a series of shelves, an elongated compartment arranged along the edge of each shelf, heat generating means in each compartment, means for regulating heat generated thereby, a non-metallic and nonheat conducting lining for said compartment, and a series of openings through which the toes of shoes resting on said shelves may be introduced into the compartment to be heated.

In an apparatus of the character described, a support for shoes, in combination with a compartment having a series of openings leading thereinto through which the toes of shoes are introduced into said compartment, the edges around said openings being flexible so as to make close contact with the shoes, a heat generating medium Within. the compartment, means for regulating the heat thereof, and partition Walls Within the compartment for preventing undue circulation of air.

An apparatus of the character described in the form of a shoe rack, the same comprising a series of supports for lasted shoes, elongated compartments adjacent said supports for receiving the toes only of the lasted shoes, heat generating means in each compartment, and means for regulating the heat generated in said compartments.

l. An u]')]')t1I'ti]11S of the character described in the form of a shoe rack, the same comprising a series of. supports for lasted shoes, elongated compartments adjacent said supports for receiving the toes only of the lasted shoes, continuous heatgenerating means extending from end to end of each compartment, and means for regulating the heat generated in said compartments.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a support for shoes in combination with elongated compartment having a series of openings leading thereinto through which the toes of shoes are introduced into said compartment, the edges around said openings being of non-heat-conducting material and being made flexible so as to make close contact with the shoes, a heat-generating medium Within the compartment, and

means for regulating the heat generated thereby.

6. An apparatus of the character described in the form of a shoe rack comprising a heating compartment normally open and'arranged to receive the tips of shoes only, a support for shoes adjacent and outside the compartment, and means in said compartment for applying heat to the tips of the shoes only.

7. An apparatus of the character described in the form of a shoe rack, the same comprising a series of supports for lasted shoes, elongated compartments adjacent said supports for receiving the toes only of the shoes, heat-generating means in each compartment, and means for controlling the heat generated in said compartments.

8. An apparatus of the character described in the form of a shoe rack, the same comprising a series of supports for lasted shoes, elongated compartments adjacent said supports for receiving the toes only of the shoes, continuous heat-generating means extending from end to end of each compartment, and means for controlling the heat generated in said compartments.

9. An apparatus of the character de scribed comprising the combination of a support for shoes, a compartment adjacent said support and having a series of openings therein through which the toes of shoes may project into said compartment, and means for supplying the interior of said compartment- With heat, the compartment being provided with a non-metallic means upon which the toe of the shoe is adapted to rest to pro-' tect the same from excessively heated portions of the compartments.

10. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a heating compartment having openings arranged to receive the tips only of shoes, a support for the shoes adjacent to and outside of the compartment, and means for continuously supplying heat to said compartment and for maintaining said heat at a temperature sufficient to dry out the materials at the toe portions of the shoes.

11. An apparatus for drying the toe portions of shoes, comprising a support for the shoes, a heating compartment located adjacent to said support, and constructed to direct heat on to the toe portions only of the shoes mounted on said support, and means for heating said compartment and continuously maintaining it at a temperature sufiicient to dry out the materials at the toe portions of the shoes.

12. An apparatus for treating the toe portions of shoes, comprising a heating compartment, a support for shoes located adjacent said compartment, and heating means Within said compartment adapted to continuously supply heat thereto of a temperature sufficient to dry out the materials at the toe ends of shoes, a portion of said compartment being constructed to direct heat on to the toe portions only of shoes mounted on said support.

13. A device for treating shoes in the course of their manufacture, the same comprising a support for a shoe, a heating element, a trough-like support for supporting said heating element, and means for directing heat from the heating element onto the toe of a shoe supported on the support.

14:. An apparatus for treating the toe portions of shoes comprising a heating compartment, a support for shoes located adjacent to said compartment, and heating means Within said compartment, a portion of said compartment being constructed to direct heat onto the toe portions only of shoes mounted on said support.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 24th day of November, 1909.

THOMAS F. \VHELAN. Witnesses M. P. SMITH, B. S. PAISLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

